The United States offers six distinct classes of wheat to customers worldwide: hard red spring, hard red winter, hard white, soft red winter, soft white, and durum. These classifications are based on kernel hardness, kernel color, and time of planting. Each class has its own uniform characteristics related to milling, baking and other food uses.

North Dakota is a leader in the U.S. wheat industry, ranking second among states in total wheat production and first in the nation in the production of hard red spring and durum wheat. Hard red spring is the aristocrat of wheat for making bread. It is also used extensively in blends with other wheats to improve the performance of the resulting flour. Durum wheat is the gold standard for making pasta.

Existing and potential buyers and processors of hard red spring and durum wheat can rely on the North Dakota Wheat Commission to provide them with valuable information and services on behalf of the state's wheat producers. Approximately half of the U.S. spring wheat crop is used in the United States and half is exported to buyers in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa. About two-thirds of the U.S. durum crop is used domestically to make pasta and one-third is exported, primarily to Europe, North Africa and Latin America.

Browse this section of our web site for information about the quality, production, marketing and transportation of hard red spring wheat and durum.